Kids and Inhalants

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Kids and Inhalants

• Information and Prevention

August 2009
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Training Objectives

• Recognize what inhalants are and the four types
  of inhalants.
• Identify common street names for inhalants.
• Identify the ways inhalants are abused.
• Identify the ways the body is affected by
  inhalant use.

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• Recognize the ways inhalants can kill.
• Identify the signs of someone who may be abusing
  inhalants.
• Identify some things parents can do to prevent
  inhalant use.
• Identify ways someone can be helped who has an
  addiction to inhalants.

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What Are Inhalants?

• Inhalants are breathable chemical vapors that
  produce psychoactive (mind-altering) effects.
• Examples of inhalants include glues, gasoline,
  paint thinner, rubber cement, nail polish
  remover, correction fluids, bleach, spray paint,
  hair spray and propane.
• National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)

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Kids And Inhalants A Serious Problem

• Many kids choose to sniff or huff inhalants
  for many reasons. They are cheap, easily
  accessible (often in kitchen cabinets or garages)
  and they are purchased legally.
• Unfortunately many kids do not realize how
  dangerous inhalants are. They can kill a person
  the very first time they use them.

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• National surveys indicate that more than 22.9
  million Americans have abused inhalants at least
  once in their lives.
• NIDA's Monitoring the Future study reveals that
  17.3 percent of eighth-graders have abused
  inhalants.
• According to a study released by the U.S.
  Department of Health and Human Services, almost 1
  million youth ages 12 to 17, used some kind of
  inhalant in 2007.

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• Other national and state surveys suggest that
  inhalant use is most prevalent among 7th, 8th and
  9th graders.
• Inhalants is often one of the first drugs that
  young children use.
• Inhalants may seem harmless to many children and
  teens. Due to them being easily accessed in a
  home, kids may not even see inhalants as being
  harmful.

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Types of Inhalants

• According to Kids Health, there are four
  different types of inhalants.
• The first category is Volatile Solvents. These
  include liquids that become a gas at room
  temperature. Examples include paint thinners and
  removers, gasoline, glues and felt-tip marker
  fluids.

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• The second category of inhalants include medical
  gases (ether, nitrous oxide) and household or
  commercial products. These products include
  propane tanks, refrigerants, butane lighters and
  whipped cream dispensers that contain nitrous
  oxide.

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• The third group of inhalants is aerosol sprays.
  They are often the most used inhalants in the
  home and the easiest to access. Aerosol sprays
  include spray deodorant and hair sprays,
  vegetable oil cooking sprays, static cling sprays
  and spray paint.

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• The fourth category of inhalants is nitrates.
  This includes cyclohexyl nitrite, amyl nitrite,
  and butyl nitrate. The slang words for these
  products is often poppers or snappers. They
  are found in some room deodorizers and capsules
  that release vapors when opened.

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Common Street Names

• Inhalants are often referred to as Glue, Poppers,
  Huff, Sniff, Texas Shoeshine, Bang, Kick,
  Whippets, Laughing Gas, Snappers, Bold and Rush.
• National Clearinghouse for Alcohol and Drug
  Information (NCADI) and National Institute on
  Drug Abuse (NIDA)

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How Are Inhalants Abused?

• Inhalants can be breathed in through the nose or
  mouth in a number of ways including
• ?Sniffing or Snorting fumes from
  containers.
• ?Spraying aerosols directly into the mouth or
  nose.
• ?Huffing from an inhalant-soaked rag stuffed
  in the mouth.

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• ?Sniffing or inhaling fumes from substances
  sprayed or placed into a plastic or paper bag
  (also known as bagging).
• ?Inhaling from balloons filled with nitrous
  oxide.
• ?Intoxication lasts only a few minutes. Due to
  this, abusers often try to make the high last
  longer by inhaling repeatedly over several hours.
  
• National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)

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Effects of Inhalants

• According to the National Clearinghouse for
  Alcohol and Drug Information (NCADI), inhalants
  effect the body in a number of ways.
• The brain is affected as substances or fumes are
  sniffed or huffed. They affect the brain with
  much greater speed and force than many other
  substances. They can cause irreversible physical
  and mental damage.

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• According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse
  (NIDA), the brain goes through many changes due
  to inhalant use.
• Inhalants often contain more than one chemical.
  While some of these chemicals quickly leave the
  body, others can remain for a long time, being
  absorbed by fatty tissues in the brain and
  central nervous system.

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• Myelin is one of these fatty tissues. It
  provides a protective cover that surrounds many
  of the bodys nerve fibers or neurons.
• Myelin helps the nerve fibers carry their
  messages to and from the brain. Damage to myelin
  can slow down communication between nerve fibers.

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• Long-term inhalant use can break down Myelin,
  causing nerve cells to not send messages as
  efficiently. This can result in muscle spasms
  and tremors, or can lead to permanent difficulty
  with basic actions such as walking, bending and
  talking.

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• Inhalants can also damage brain cells by
  preventing them from receiving enough oxygen.
  This condition, known as brain hypoxia, will have
  varied effects. If the hippocampus is affected,
  a person who repeatedly uses inhalants may lose
  the ability to learn new things or have a hard
  time carrying on simple conversations. If the
  cerebral cortex is affected, the ability to solve
  complex problems or plan ahead is diminished. If
  the cerebellum is affected, it can cause a person
  to move slowly or clumsily.

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• The heart is affected as well. Inhalants starve
  the body of oxygen and force the heart to beat
  irregularly and more rapidly.
• Inhalants also affect other parts of the body as
  people who use them can often experience
  nosebleeds and nausea develop lung, liver and
  kidney problems and lose their sense of smell or
  hearing. It can also lead to reduced muscle
  tone.

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• Certain inhalants can also cause the body to
  produce fewer blood cells, which can result in
  aplastic anemia. Persons with this condition are
  unable to produce blood cells.
• Inhalants can also cause immediate death. A
  person can be killed instantly. Inhalant users
  can die by suffocation, choking on their vomit or
  having a heart attack.
• NCADI NIDA

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Short-Term Effects

• Short-Term effects of using Inhalants include
• ?Increased heart rate
• ?Hallucinations or delusions
• ?Losing feeling or consciousness
• ?Nausea and vomiting
• ?Loss of coordination
• ?Slurred speech

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Long-Term Effects

• Long-Term effects of using Inhalants include
• ?Brain damage
• ?Muscle weakness
• ?Depression
• ?Headaches and nosebleeds
• ?Loss of hearing or sense of smell
• Kids Health

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Inhalants Can Kill

• According to Kids Health, causes of death due to
  inhalants include
• ?Sudden Sniffing Death is the most common
  cause of death from inhalant use. The heart
  beats quickly and irregularly, and then stops.
• ?Asphyxia occurs when toxic fumes replace
  oxygen in the lungs, so that a person stops
  breathing.

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• ?Suffocation can happen when vapors are
  inhaled from a plastic bag placed over the head.
  The bag can block air.
• ?Kids who use inhalants can often be injured.
  People high on inhalants often make bad
  decisions, such as driving under the influence or
  doing something irrational. They could also get
  burned or start explosions if a spark ignites
  flammable inhalants.

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• ?Choking occurs when a user chokes on his or
  her own vomit.
• ?Suicide can also be a result of inhalant use.
  Some people become depressed when their high
  wears off and kill themselves.

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Signs Someone Is Using Inhalants

• Exhaustion
• Extreme anger or irritability
• Loss of appetite
• Frequent vomiting
• Mood swings
• Hallucinations and delusions
• Frequent nose running and coughing

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• Dilated pupils
• Facial rashes and blisters
• Spots and/or sores around the mouth
• Extremely bad breath
• Chemical odors on clothing
• Paint or other stains on a persons face, hands
  or clothing
• Weight loss

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• Disorientation
• Uncoordinated movement
• Muscle weakness
• Slurred speech
• Drunk, dazed, or dizzy appearance
• Red eyes
• Kids Health, NIDA, NCADI and Parents. The
  Anti-Drug

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What Can Parents Do to Prevent Inhalant Use?

• Parents must talk to their kids about the dangers
  of using inhalants. Most young children do not
  realize how dangerous inhalants can be.
• Parents should also be careful about how common
  household products are stored in their homes.
• Parents. The Anti-Drug

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• Several kinds of treatment are available for drug
  addiction. According to Kids Health, behavioral
  treatment is primarily used for inhalant
  addiction.
• An expert in drug treatment will teach people how
  to function without drugs, as well as how to
  handle cravings, how to avoid situations that
  could lead to inhalant use, and how to prevent
  and handle relapses.

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• Overcoming addiction is difficult without
  professional help and support. No one can do it
  alone. A counselor or the local yellow pages can
  be a resource into finding the help that is
  needed.
• The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services
  Administrations Center for Substance Abuse
  Treatment (CSAT) offers a National Drug and
  Alcohol Treatment Service that provides free and
  confidential information on hotlines and
  counseling services. The toll-free number is
  800-662-4357 treatment centers can also be found
  by accessing www.findtreatment.samhsa.gov.

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For More Information

• SAMHSAs National Clearinghouse for Alcohol and
  Drug Information, http//download.ncadi.samhsa.gov
  /prevline/pdfs/PHD631/T4T_Brochure_Inhalants_2008_
  Compliant_2p.pdf
• National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA),
  http//www.nida.nih.gov/ResearchReports/Inhalants/
  Inhalants.html
• http//www.nida.nih.gov/ResearchReports/Inhalan
  ts/Inhalants2.htmlwhat

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• Kids Health, http//teenshealth.org/teen/drug_alco
  hol/drugs/inhalants.html
• Parents.The Anti-Drug, http//www.theantidrug.com/
  drug_info/drug_info_inhalants.asp
• http//www.theantidrug.com/drug_info/drug_info_
  inhalants_quickfacts.asp

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Missouri Department of Social Services State
Technical Assistance Team

• Address
• PO Box 208Jefferson City, MO 65102-0208
• Telephone [phone](800) 487-1626(8 a.m.
  to 5 p.m. CST, Monday Friday)
• Email
•  dls.stat_at_dss.mo.gov